Plastic dispensing nozzle with a ball valve

ABSTRACT

A plastic nozzle in combination with a closure cap in which the interior of the nozzle is provided with a valve cage or valve housing for retaining and supporting a ball valve to prevent entrance of foreign matter through the nozzle into the container when the ball valve is in its normal seated position, but which permits the discharge and dispensing of the material in the container when the container and nozzle are tilted or inverted for pouring position.

United States Patent [1 Porcelli Dec. 118, 1973 1 PLASTIC DISPENSINGNOZZLE WITH A BALL VALVE [75] Inventor; John C. Porcelli, Lincolnwood,111.

[73] Assignee: Federal Tool & Plastics, a Division of VCA Corporation,Chicago, 111.

[22] Filed: Dec. 17, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 209,253

[52] U.S. Cl. 222/500, 215/22 [51] Int. Cl B65d 5/72 [58] Field ofSearch...l 222/207, 212, 213,

[56] References Cited- UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,179,300 4/1965 Davidsonet a1. 222/213 2,855,127 10/1958 Lerner et a1. 222/212 X 2,663,46312/1953 Benbury et a1. 222/546 2,690,278 9/1954 Bacheller 222/2073,018,910 l/1962 Unger t 215/22 3,278,089 10/1966 Heemin et a1. 222/546X Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Assistant ExaminerLarry MartinAttorney-Max R. Kraus' 57 ABSTRACT A plastic nozzle in combination witha closure cap in which the interior of the nozzle is provided with avalve cage or valve housing for retaining and supporting a ball valve toprevent entrance of foreign matter through the nozzle into the containerwhen the ball valve is in its'normal seated position, but which permitsthe discharge and dispensing of the material in the container when thecontainer and nozzle are tilted or inverted for pouring position.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures swsAzs PATENIED HEB 18 1975 I l PLASTICDISPENSING NOZZLE with A BALL VALVE BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Inthe merchandising of certain products, such as brake fluids and thelike, although it is equally applicable to other products, it isimperative that the nozzle be closed when same is in unused and/ornormally upright position so that even when the cap for closing thenozzle is lifted to expose the entrance to the nozzle nothing can enterthe container through the nozzle, for if any foreign matter found itsway into the container it would contaminate the contents thereof, and inthe case of brake fluids, when any contaminated brake fluid isintroduced into the braking system of an automobile serious consequencescould result, such asfailure of the brake system to operate effectively.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide adispensing'nozzle with a ball valve which in unused or normal uprightposition seats on the valve seat'in the nozzle and closes the nozzleopening into the interior of the container to prevent contamination orthe introduction of any foreign material into the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the closure with the cap in open position.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showing indotted linesthe cap in closed position with respect to the closure.

FIG. 3 is a central sectional view of a modification.

FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of another modification, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the valve cage or valve housing of theFIG. 3 embodiment as it is initially inserted into the nozzle if same isto be spin welded.

The closure unit generally indicated at comprises a nozzle generallyindicated at 12, a flexible hinge 14 extending therefrom and a cap orclosure generally indicated at 16 connected thereto. The nozzle 32includes a tubular body 18 which tapers or inclines downw'ardly to forma tapering wall 19 and then extends outwardly to form an annularenlargement 20. Theannular enlargement is provided with an annulargroove or recess 22 which is open at the bottom to receive the annularupturned or flanged portion 24 of the top wall 26 of the containersurrounding the opening 28 of the top wall 26. The flange portion 24 ofthe container is permanently interlocked with the groove or recess 22 ofthe nozzle 12 to permanently secure the nozzle to the container. Thetubular body 18 has a short annular portion 30 at the lower end whichextends into the interior of the container. The internal diameter of thenozzle is greater at the lower end than at the upper or outlet end.

The upper or mouth portion of the nozzle 12 has an annular or peripheralbead or lip 32 and the lower portion of the bead 32 tapers inwardly asat 34. Upwardly of the bead 32 the nozzle tapers inwardly and thenslightly outwardly to terminate in an annular upper edge 36. The insidewall adjacent the upper edge is beveled as at 36.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. I and 2, the valve cage or valvehousing, generally indicated at 40, is formed integrally as part of thenozzle 12, whereas in the other embodiments the valve cage or valvehousing is separately formed and secured to the nozzle. As

shown in FIGS. l and 2, the nozzle 112 is formed to provide an annularhorizontally extending flat portion 42 extending transversely of theinterior of the nozzle below the top thereof, with a centrallydownwardly depending or extending tubular portion 44 which extendsinwardly to form a conical-shaped ball valve seat 46 and which continuesdownwardly from said conical valve seat to form a tubular portion 48which forms the lower end of the valve 'cage or valve housing.

Extending within the tubular portion 44 of the valve cage and integrallyformed therewith is a plurality (preferably four) of equally spacedinwardly and vertically extending ribs 50 which extend from the top ofthe valve housing to the conical valve seat 46, as best seen in FIG. 2.The ribs 50 each have a downwardly and inwardly inclined top surface 52which then inclines outwardly as at 541 and then continues vertically asat 56 to form the lower end of the rib. At the juncture between theinwardly inclined top surface 52 and the outwardly inclined surface 54there is formed a projection or shoulder 58 which serves to trap theball valve 60 after it has been inserted in the valve cage or valvehousing.

The ball valve 60 is preferably a metal ball bearing, although it may bemade of other material if desired. The ball valve is initially insertedfrom the top or open end of the spout and as it is pushed down inwardlyinto the valve housing it will deflect the ribs to permit passage of theball valve past the shoulders or projections 58 until the ball passessame and comes to seat or rest on the conical surface 46 of the valvecage or housing, as shown in FIG. 2. When the container and the spoutare in the normal upright position, as shown in FIG. 2, the ball valve6tlseats on the conical valve seat 46 to close the opening or bore atthe lower end of the valve cage and thus will provide an effective sealinto the interior of the container from the top of the nozzle.

When the container with the nozzle thereon is inverted from the uprightposition shown in FIG. 2, the ball valve will by gravity move from theconical valve seat 46 to engage the shoulders or projections 58 on theribs 50 which will limit the outward movement of the ball valve and whenin this position the material within the container will pass through thevalve cage between the ribs so that the material can be poured throughthe nozzle. Thus, as the ball rests in the position shown in FIG. 2, theball valve completely seals the conical valve seat so that nothing canget into the interior of the container as it is completely blocked bythe seated ball valve. When the nozzle and the container are inverted asin pouring, the ball valve is moved to a position to permit the liquidor fluid to be poured from the container.

The cap or closure 16 is connected to the nozzle 12 by the flexibleconnecting strip or hinge 14 and thee hinge extends from the enlargement20 of the nozzle outwardly to the bottom of the cap or closure. The capor closure 16 has a substantially flat top 62 and a depending outercylindrical side wallor skirt 64 provided with a thickened annular wallportion 66 at the bottom thereof to which the hinge connects. A forwardextension 67 is provided at the front thereof and same projects from thecap for manual engagement for the purpose of lifting the cap from thenozzle.

Extending radially inward from the cylindrical side wall 64 of the capis an annular lip 68 which engages the underside of the peripheral beador lip 32 of the nozzle to secure the cap in closed position, as shownin dotted lines in FIG. 2. The cap I6 has a recess 69 in its centralportion, said recess having an inner cylindrical side wall 70 adapted tobe tightly received within the upper or mouth portion of the nozzle toengage the inner wall of the nozzle, as best seen in dotted lines inFIG. 2. The outer surface of the cylindrical inner wall is beveled as at71 complementary to the beveled edge 38 of the nozzle so that when thecap is in closed position a seal-tight fit is effected between the capand the nozzle.

FIGS. 3 and Modification In the FIGS. 3 and 5 embodiment, only thatportion of the spout and the valve cage or valve housing which isdifferent from that described with. respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 will bedescribed in detail, it being understood that the remaining structure isthe same as that previously described The nozzle 12 is formed to providetherewithin an annular horizontally extending flat portion 72 extendingtransversely of the interior of the nozzle below the top thereof, with acentrally upwardly extending tubular portion 73 which forms a pouringspout. The top of the nozzle 12, as well as the spout 73, is closed whenthe cap 16 is positioned over the nozzle. The valve cage or valvehousing generally designated by the numeral 74 is a separately formed ormolded component and said valve cage or valve housing includes thetubular portion 44, the conical seat 46, and the tubular lower end 48,as well as the ribs 50' previously described in connection with FIG. 2.The valve housing 74 has an annular top or horizontal portion 76 with adownwardly conical-shaped skirt 77. The valve cage or valve housing 74is positioned within the interior of'the nozzle below the annularhorizontal wall 72 and in engagement therewith. The conical skirt 77 ispositioned adjacent the tapering wall 19 of the nozzle and is sonicallysealed or spin welded to the nozzle so as to be integrated therewith,with the conical skirt 77 of the valve cage abutting the wall 19' of thenozzle.

The operation of the ball valve 60 in the valve cage 74 will be similarto that previously described, however, in addition, the nozzle isprovided with the centrally positioned spout 73 so that when thecontainer and the nozzle are inverted the material in the container willflow past the ball valve into the spout and be discharged therefrom.

As shown in FIG. 5, the angle, with respect to a vertical axis, of theskirt 77 of the valve housing 74 when initially inserted into the lowerend of the nozzle and before the spin welding is smaller than the angleof the tapering wall 19', however, the skirt 77 and wall 19 are weldedto each other in the spin welding process. If the valve cage body 74 ofthe FIGS. 3 and 5 embodiment is to be sonically sealed to the nozzle,the angle of the conical skirt 77 should be substantially identical tothe angle of the wall 19 of the nozzle.

In the FIGS. 3 and 5 embodiment, a plurality of spaced webs, preferablyfour, designated by the numeral 78 extend between the inside wall of theconical skirt 77 and the tubular body 44'. Said webs are only for thepurpose of providing anchorage to a tool which engages said webs to turnthe valve cage during spin welding. If the valve cage is secured bymeans of sonic sealing to the nozzle, the webs 78 may be eliminated.

For sonic sealing of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the conicalskirt 77 may also be eliminated.

FIG. 4 MODIFICATION FIG. 4 shows a modified nozzle and closure cap witha valve cage or valve housing generally similar to that described inFIG. 3, except that the valve housing shown in FIG. 4 does not have theconical skirt. In the FIG. 4 embodiment the nozzle 80 is provided at thetop end with a transversely extending outwardly curved top wall 82, witha central opening 83 and a downwardly extending short tubular portion84. The valve cage or valve housing generally indicated at 86 has anannular lip or flange 87 at the upper end of the valve cage. The topsurface 88 of the flange 87 inclines downwardly complementary to theshape of the inner surface 89 of the top wall 82 of the nozzle 80. Theseparately formed valve cage 86 of the FIG. 4 embodiment is sonicallysealed or spin welded to the interior of the nozzle so as to beintegrated with said nozzle. The cap 90 is provided with a dome-shapedtop wall 91 having an inwardly extending and centrally locatedprojection 92. As shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, when the cap ispositioned over the nozzle the projection 92 extends into the centralopening 83 of the top wall of the nozzle to close the opening thereof.

The closure units shown in the various embodiments, which include thenozzle and the valve cage in FIG. 2, as well as the flexible hinge andthe cap, are integrally molded of a plastic material such aspolyethylene or similar material, so that there is a combined strengthand substantial stiffness with resiliency. The cap can be readilysnapped on or off the nozzle repeatedly and the parts resume theiroriginal molded shape after temporary distortion. The same is applicableto the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, however, the valve cagebodies shown in said embodiments are separately molded of a similarplastic material and are sonically sealed or spin welded to the nozzle,as previously described.

If the valve cage body 86 of the FIG. 4 embodiment is to be spin weldedto the nozzle 80, fins similar to the fins 78 of the FIG. 3 embodimentshould be incorporated for the same reason as the fins 78.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dispensing nozzle for a container in which the nozzle is to beattached to the container and in which the nozzle has a removablesnap-on cap normally sealing the upper end of the nozzle, of resilientlyflexible material, said nozzle having an annular enlargement with anannular recess open at the bottom to receive the flanged portion of acontainer to permanently interlock the nozzle.with said container, avalve housing within the nozzle, said valve housing having a tubularvportion and a conical valve seat adjacent the lower end and a ball valvesupported within the tubular portion and normally seating on saidconical seat and closing the lower end of said valve housing to preventextraneous material from entering from the top of said nozzle, saidtubular portion of said valve housing having a plurality of inwardlyvertically extending spaced ribs therewithin integrally formed therewithfor centering said ball valve with the ribs having a downwardly andinwardly inclined sloping top surface and shaped to provide integrallyformed shoulders below the top thereof which serve as a stop to captureand retain the ball valve within the valve housing below the top of thehousing but providing passage between the ribs for permitting directaxial passage of the contents between the spaced ribs through saidnozzle without a lateral deflection of the flow of the contents whensaid nozzle is inclined or inverted for spilling position, said ribsbeing integrally formed with said valve housing and of a resilientmaterial with the sloping top so shaped to permit the initial insertionand passage of the ball valve into the valve housing from the top of thevalve housing past the shoulder with the deflection of the ribs.

2. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 1 in which the valvehousing is integrally formed with said nozzle.

3. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim l in which the valvehousing is formed separately from the nozzle and in which the valvehousing is subsequently permanently secured to said nozzle.

4. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the valvehousing is secured to the nozzle by sonic sealing.

5. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the nozzle hasan inclined wall and in which the valve housing has a conical-shapedskirt engaging the inclined inner wall of the nozzle and in which thevalve housing is secured to said nozzle by spin welding.

6. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the valvehousing is secured to the nozzle by spin welding.

7. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the nozzle has ahorizontally extending wall and a central tubular spout and a valvehousing has a top surface engaging said horizontal wall.

8. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the nozzle has atop wall with a central opening and in which a cap having a projectionfits over the top wall of the nozzle with the projection closing theopening. =l l

1. In a dispensing nozzle for a container in which the nozzle is to beattached to the container and in which the nozzle has a removablesnap-on cap normally sealing the upper end of the nozzle, of resilientlyflexible material, said nozzle having an annular enlargement with anannular recess open at the bottom to receive the flanged portion of acontainer to permanently interlock the nozzle with said container, avalve housing within the nozzle, said valve housing having a tubularportion and a conical valve seat adjacent the lower end and a ball valvesupported within the tubular portion and normally seating on saidconical seat and closing the lower end of said valve housing to preventextraneous material from entering from the top of said nozzle, saidtubular portion of said valve housing having a plurality of inwardlyvertically extending spaced ribs therewithin integrally formed therewithfor centering said ball valve with the ribs having a downwardly andinwardly inclined sloping top surface and shaped to provide integrallyformed shoulders below the top thereof which serve as a stop to captureand retain the ball valve within the valve housing below the top of thehousing but providing passage between the ribs for permitting directaxial passage of the contents between the spaced ribs through saidnozzle without a lateral deflection of the flow of the contents whensaid nozzle is inclined or inverted for spilling position, said ribsbeing integrally formed with said valve housing and of a resilientmaterial with the sloping top so shaped to permit the initial insertionand passage of the ball valve into the valve housing from the top of thevalve housing past the shoulder with the deflection of the ribs.
 2. Adispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 1 in which the valve housing isintegrally formed with said nozzle.
 3. A dispensing nozzle as set forthin claim 1 in which the valve housing is formed separately from thenozzle and in which the valve housing is subsequently permanentlysecured to said nozzle.
 4. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3in which the valve housing is secured to the nozzle by sonic sealing. 5.A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the nozzle has aninclined wall and in which the valve housing has a conical-shaped skirtengaging the inclined inner wall of the noZzle and in which the valvehousing is secured to said nozzle by spin welding.
 6. A dispensingnozzle as set forth in claim 3 in which the valve housing is secured tothe nozzle by spin welding.
 7. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim3 in which the nozzle has a horizontally extending wall and a centraltubular spout and a valve housing has a top surface engaging saidhorizontal wall.
 8. A dispensing nozzle as set forth in claim 3 in whichthe nozzle has a top wall with a central opening and in which a caphaving a projection fits over the top wall of the nozzle with theprojection closing the opening.